“Hello, my name is Victor.
Beneath this neat blond fringe and behind these big chocolate-coloured eyes — that’s me. In the barrio, everyone calls me Gold. It was my mum who chose that nickname: she says that in the sunlight my hair truly gleams like gold.
And this is my story.
I arrived at the Education Centre in 2023, together with many of my brothers and sisters. We’re a big family — seven of us in all: Celina, Santiago, Veronica, Matias, Fernando, myself, and little José.
Like them, my own journey began thanks to the Canossian Sisters, who follow us with a care and dedication that feel like home.
I live with my mum, dad, and my whole family in the Barrio Sagrada Familia in Encarnación, Paraguay — a shantytown that lies quite literally beneath the cross-border bridge linking Paraguay and Argentina.
My father works at the customs area, cleaning lorries. But life is tough, and sometimes he prefers drinking to thinking about everything we need. So many evenings, we end up at community kitchens just to have something to eat.
There are also moments when Mum and Dad argue. When that happens, my brothers, sisters and I get scared and run to the neighbours’ homes — the places where we feel truly safe.
Since I started attending the “Santa Maddalena di Canossa” Education Centre and the “Sagrada Familia” Health Centre, though, everything has changed. At first, I was terribly shy… although very affectionate. Thanks to the Canossian Sisters, and to a Sponsorship from Afar — which feels anything but distant — I’ve been able to receive care whenever I was unwell. I have a warm meal every day (and yes, I’ll admit it: I love my food!), and above all I can play, laugh, and learn with my friends. Somewhere along the way, my shyness has almost completely fallen away.
Would you like to help other children like me to feel better, grow strong, and know they are loved? With one small yet precious gesture, you can truly make a difference.
Support the Canossian VOICA Foundation – ETS and the work of the Canossian Sisters of Encarnación for all the children of the Barrio Sagrada Familia.
Thank you — from me, and from all the children who, even from afar, count on you.”
Learn More About Distant Sponsorship HERE
SUPPORT FROM AFAR here
